A gentle place to gather strength

Structure, Rhythm, and Filter for My Blog

I will be working on giving my blog some rhythm and structure. I am brainstorming and picking up ideas here and there. I think some structure in place will help me enjoy the writing/creating/sharing process?!

I want to share prayers, poems, books, blogs, what I am learning each month, things that are helping me, and about people who have encouraged me; because God’s people are beautiful creations!

If you want, you can pray for God to lead me in the process. I already settled on a filter for my blog. I got the idea for choosing a filter from this blog post: What Taylor Swift Taught Me About Writing by Emily P Freeman. She said “Every storyteller must choose a filter. For example, my goal in this space is to help you create space for your soul to breathe. Everything I write here goes through that filter.”

My friend once told me I reminded her of a bunch of colored, tangled threads, and they were barely hanging on. This was several years ago. I definitely felt that way at the time; hanging on by the grace of God. Though as I continued on my journey the Lord has strengthened me, and this is a scripture I pray over my life now;

The LORD will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail. Isaiah 58:11

So a filter for content on my blog is posting things that “strengthen my frame” and “water” my soul.

To go along with this post about Strength (structure/frame) and rhythm here are two books I have read recently, and quotes or ideas I enjoyed from them

I loved this book and some others I know and respect loved it to. One person put it on their list of their top ten books they read this past year that influenced them. It is about Strengthening yourself in the Lord, like the title says.

Here is one suggestion I took away from reading and a quote I liked too:

Meditating of God’s promises will strengthen you.

“I write down the promises and prophecies that are spoken over me. Like the rudder of a ship, they determine the direction for my thoughts and desires, and eventually my life. I put the shorter one on 3×5 index cards, and the longer ones I keep in a file on my computer. They are in my briefcase and go wherever I go- and I read them often.”

Building the Building of Divine Purpose

“The very word “strengthening” is part of the language of building that is going on in our lives”.

I remember reading this one while Jeff was building his first home. As I was waiting for him to finish some project during the framing part of the house, I decided to take a break and read some of this book. So I got a yoga mat out of my car and put it down on the cement floor and read about sacred rhythms. This book was recommend by Emily P. Freeman on her blog or in a book I read of hers. Anyways, some parts of it I did enjoy and find insightful or inspiring. It is a lot about spiritual disciplines too. It makes me want to read more about rhythms.

“Perhaps one of the most basic things we need to understand about spiritual transformation is that it is full of mystery. We can be open to it, but we can’t accomplish it for ourselves.”

“The disciplines themselves are basic components of the rhythm of intimacy with God that feed and nourish the soul, keep us open and available for God’s surprising initiatives in our lives. After we learn the disciplines, there is infinite creativity for putting them together in a rhythm that works for us and great freedom for adding other disciplines and creative elements.”